Misbah-ul-Haq will be forever remembered by cricket fans for his audacious paddle-scoop that cost Pakistan the inaugural T20 World Cup against India. That one moment of madness from him, ens...Full profile

Misbah-ul-Haq will be forever remembered by cricket fans for his audacious paddle-scoop that cost Pakistan the inaugural T20 World Cup against India. That one moment of madness from him, ensured that he will forever be castigated for his mistake, despite having taken his side so close to the target when there seemed to be no hope.

Misbah first caught the attention of the selectors in 2002 when he made truckloads of runs in the domestic scene. He played well in the tri-nation tournament in Nairobi, but subsequently, his form deserted him and he was soon sidelined from the national side.

With the departure of Inzamam-ul-Haq, and with the solid weight of domestic and county runs behind his name, Misbah made another comeback into the national team in 2007. He finished as Pakistan's best player in the T20 World Cup in 2007 and carried that form to India, where he made a couple of hundreds and finished with 464 runs in the three-match Test series.

More than the number of runs, it was the cool and calm manner that he negotiated all that India threw at him that impressed everybody. Suddenly, he was proclaimed to to be the natural successor to Inzamam and a future captain. The year 2008 began with some high points for Misbah as he was elevated to the post of vice - captain of the Pakistan team and was awarded a Grade A contract. But his form slumped dramatically and was axed from the side from all three formats of the game. He didn't feature in the disastrous trip to England in 2010 and was made captain of the Test side against South Africa in late 2010.

Misbah led the side to a 0-0 draw against the Proteas and then achieved a 1-0 series victory when Pakistan toured New Zealand in early 2011. He was again roundly criticised for his painfully slow innings during the World Cup semi-final loss to India, but he chose not to respond to any of those criticisms. After Shahid Afridi's axing as the ODI skipper in 2012, he was named the captain of the Pakistan team, which completed a clean sweep (3-0) against the then No.1 Test side England.

Misbah had a fantastic 2012-13 domestic season. He led his team, the Faisalabad Wolves, to the T20 Championship title and they also qualified for the Champions League T20. Under his able leadership, they won all the domestic tournaments (Twenty20, First-Class and list-A) in the season 2012-13. During that time, he also led his country to a famous ODI series victory against their arch-rivals India.

Misbah's captaincy came under serious scrutiny after Pakistan lost the ODI series against South Africa in the UAE. However, the PCB backed him and declared him to be the captain until the 2015 World Cup. Pakistan took their revenge against the Proteas by churning out a brilliant performance in South Africa soon after. They took the series 2-1, becoming the first sub-continent team to beat South Africa in a bilateral ODI series in their own den. This historic win won Misbah many accolades across the country. Pakistan replicated their strong performance against Sri Lanka, winning the ODI series comfortably and squaring the Test series 1-1, where Misbah played a crucial role in the third Test. He was a stand-out performer in 2013, scoring over 1,000 runs in a calendar year.

There is always a cloud hanging around Misbah's captaincy, be it for losing the 2014 Asia Cup final, or the first two ODIs against Australia in the UAE. Misbah even sat out of the third game against Australia, just to take a break and to think about his future. All the questions were answered, when he led Pakistan to a 2-0 Test series win against Australia and levelled the Test series 1-1 versus New Zealand. Although, under him, Pakistan lost the ODI series to the Black Caps, the selectors showed faith in him and named him as the skipper for the 2015 World Cup. As soon as the squad was announced for the, Misbah decided that he will retire after the mega-event.

Questions were raised about his retirement from all forms after Pakistan's heart-breaking loss against Australia in the quarter-final. However, Misbah carried on with the five-day format and even helped Pakistan become the No. 1 Test side for the first time in their history, after a victory at The Oval against England in 2016. However, he had poor outings Down Under later that year and in early 2017. On April 6, 2017, Misbah announced that he will bid adieu to international cricket after the three-match Test series against West Indies.

The farewell series for Misbah was historical for Pakistan as they sealed their first-ever Test series win in the Caribbean. The series saw a thrilling finish as the visitors were able to gift their beloved captain the ideal send off from international cricket. Despite the exit from national duties, Misbah continues to play First-class cricket and shall also be a part of the T20 Leagues like PSL and BPL where he shall also be captaining the respective teams.

Interesting facts: Misbah has a Masters Degree in Business Administration.

Misbah went past Wasim Akram, becoming the player to have the most ODI runs to his name without scoring a century.

Misbah also is the most successful Pakistan Test captain, he went past Imran Khan, who had 13 wins under his name.

Misbah recorded a 56-ball hundred against Australia in 2014 - then the joint fastest hundred in Tests, sharing the record with Sir Viv Richards.